Talking of Detroit Diesel-powered ERF ECs as per my previous blog I was prompted to rifle through the old Commercial Motor Road Test files. Why? because I knew we had tested no less than two DD ERFs in 1997 and 1998...ironically both by Toby Clark, now editor of roadtransport.com
This was around the time of ERF's ground-breaking 'Fuel Duel' marketing campaign, which scared the pants off all the other manufacturers because few, if any, could put up a truck that could beat the ISM Cummins-powered EC in its prime.
Apart from maybe one..and that was the ERF EC with the 12.7-litre detroit Diesel 60 Series in it. Toby tested an 430hp EC127.44ST tractor, accompanied by legendary demo driver Derek Rafferty, in October 1998 when it returned an astonishing 8.52mph around our old three-day route. At the time it was the first 38-tonner to so do around the 1,180km circuit.
And interestingly enough, it beat the 'Fuel Duel' 380hp Cummins-powered EC11.38 which we also tested in August 1997 and returned 8.47mpg. For what it's worth, when Toby drove the lower-powered 370hp version of the 60 Series in the ERF EC it also broke the 'eight-barrier' with 8.03.
Make no mistake, the 60 Series was a VERY impressive engine. So why didn't ERF puruse it with more vigour? Well for a start there were issues with having to create the right kind of back-up. ERF dealers were already committed to Cummins and introducing another engine wasn't as easy as it sounded, especially as the Detroit was a hi-tech electronic diesel. There was also a question mark over how committed Detroit Diesel was to the UK market. It was no lightweight either, especially compared with an ISM. So slowly it faded from view and had been dropped by the time the ECX/ECS appeared, leaving just a handful on the road. And as you can see from the blog below...that number's just been reduced by one! Do any BLB readers know where there are any others?
Meanwhile, click through here to see another well-preserved old ERF EC, picture courtesy of Road Rat.
And here it is one of Richard Read's finest. Though this does have a Cummins in it. And of course Read was also a long-serving ERF dealer too. happy days right Griff?
I belive the situation was also complicated by the fact that when DD became part of the Daimler Group on the truck side, the 60-Series was no longer made available to competitors. This was certainly the case in North America. So even if ERF had committed heavily to Detroit Diesel engines it seems likely that the arrangement would not have been allowed to continue for long.
re erf detroit
i still run one have had it 8 years still goes well
G Y
See my ERF EC 12.7 Detroit Diesel Left Hand drive, 2000 Year model, for sale at www.viatratrucks.be - A pity this supertruck is very rare...
See my ERF DETROIT DIESEL, 2000, for sale at www.viatratrucks.be
Does anybody know which issue this is from?
Also, does anybody have this issue who are willing to sell it?
Cheers